Typographical mold and slug



Nov. 23, 1937.

E. M. RIGHTER 2,100,304

TYPOGRAPHICAL MOLD AND SLUG Filed June 5, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 23, 1937. E. M. RICHTER TYPOGRAPHICAL MOLD AND SLUG Filed June 5, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 /5 INVENTOR Ml2.l.H .LIHEhOBVFF 00 BY MR/GHTER ATTORNEYS Nov. 23, 1937. mGHTER 2,100,304

TYPOGRAPHICAL MOLD AND SLUG Filed June 5, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 /-;-mj\ m jg? 26* 2s 24 25 23 (25%25 236 v p% 6' 22 /2Q:/ W2 20 5 lNVENTOR ATTORNEYS i atentecl Nov. 23, 1937 PATENT OFFICE TYPOGRAPHICAL MOLD AND SLUG Edward M. Righter, Lincoln, Nebr., assig'nor to lntertype Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 5, 1937, Serial No. 146,665

25 Claims.

. The present invention relates to improvements in molds of the class having a slot therein for casting character bearing type bars or slugs,

and it relates more particularly to molds of the kind employed in typographical line casting machines of the general class shown and described .in U. S. Letters Patent No. 436,532 granted September 16, 1890 in which lines of character bearing matrices are presented to the mold and against which the type bars or slugs are cast.

Modern machines of this class are usually provided with four molds in which the length of the casting slot may be varied to enable the casting .1of slugs of different lengths to suit different column widths, and in which the height of the slot may be varied to produce slugs of different thicknesses to suit type characters of different point sizes. However, once the slot in the mold is adjusted to a given length or height the mold is capable of producing at each casting operation only one slug of corresponding size. Special molds have been proposed for producing more than one slug at each casting operation but suchmolds are seldom used since the several slugs, all of the same point size were cast separately from one another, that is, in separated portions of the casting slot, thus requiring special ejecting mechanism arranged to penetrate each separate portion of the casting slot and special slug guiding mechanism arranged to carry the several separate slugs to proper points of as- ;sembly on the usual galley.

The primary object of the present invention,

,in its broad aspect, is to increase the slug casting capacity of the total number of molds that may ,be present on the machine whereby without exflchanging or adjusting these molds they will be capable of producing a greater number of slugs f the same or of different point size.

More particularly, the object of the present invention .is toprovide a single mold capable of producing as one composite slug a plurality of Slugs of the same or of different lengths or point the end walls adjacent to the communicating passages between the several portions along the casting slot perpendicular to the longitudinal walls of the slot. With this arrangement slugs .cast in each portionat each casting operation lWillbe joined together and may therefore be ejected as a single composite slug by the-usual ejecting mechanism employed in machines of this class, guided in the usual manner to the galley without requiring alteration of the latter, and the several slug sections subsequently separated from one another by breaking or by sawing them apart. After being separated the ends of the several slug sections will be square with the side faces as required in order that the slugs can be properly assembled in the printing forms in which they are used.

A mold having these characteristics possesses many advantages over molds of this class as heretofore used, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in newspaper composition, a single mold according to the present invention and provided with two casting slots of different point sizes may be used for the production of the slugs of column width for text lines in the slot of smaller point size, and for the production of the slugs of like width for headings in the slot of larger point size. Also in casting slugs with overhanging characters, both the useful or character bearing slug and the required underlay may be cast and-ejected at the same time from one mold instead of requiring the use of two molds, as heretofore. Furthermore, in certain forms of logotype or tabular composition the several slugs required may be cast in one operation and then ejected and separated.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of parts all aswill be hereinafter set forth, the features of novelty being pointed out more particularly in the claims at the end of this specification. a

In the accompanying drawings:--

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of the usual mold disk of a typographical machine of the class hereinbefore referred to, having a mold according to the present invention mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the mold disk, taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, and showing a matrix line presented to the mold;

Figure 3 is a section through the mold and mold disk, taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, showing one of the usual vise jaws cooperating with the mold;

Figure 4 is a detailed perspective view of the form of dividing member shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of one well known form of slug ejector, showing the relation thereof to the mold according to the present invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a slug cast in the mold shown in Fig. 1 when the matrix line is presented to the left hand portion of the casting slot;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but shows the slug after the useful or character bearing portion thereof has been Separated from the other or useless portion; I V

Figure 8 is a View similar to Fig. 3 but shows the cast matrix character of a size larger than the point size of theinold slot so that the character overhangs the body of the cast slug;

Figure 9 is a front elevation of a slug such as may be produced in the mold shown in Fig. 8;

Figures 9 and 9 are end elevations of the slug shown in Fig. 9 as viewed respectively from the left hand and right hand ends thereof, the underlay slug being applied to the character bearing slug;

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of a slug cast in the mold shown in Fig. 1 when the matrix line is presented to the right hand portion of the casting slot; 7

Figure 11 is a front elevation of the mold shown in section in Fig. 8 and shows the casting slot comprising two communicating portions of equal height and length for simultaneously producing the slugs in Figs. 9, 9 and 9 Figure 12 is a front elevation similar to Fig. 1 but shows the casting slot comprising three communicating portions of unequal length;

Figure 13 is a front elevation showing the composite slug cast in, the'mold in Fig. 12 after ejection; and

Figure 14 is a View of the slug cast as shown in Fig. 13 after the sections thereof 7 have been broken apart. and the square ends of two of the sections butted together.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the different figures.

In the present instance, the mold according to the present invention is shown applied to a machine of usual well known construction in which several molds are mounted on the well knownv rotary mold wheel or disk I and secured thereto by bolts 2, the mold disk shown having a capacity of four molds. For convenience, the invention is illustrated as applied to a well known form of mold which comprises an upper or cap section 3 and a lower or body section 4, the inner opposed faces of these mold sections, when clamped together against so-called liners 5 and 5 at opposite ends, defining the longitudinal walls of the casting slot the length of which is determined by the location of the inner ends of the respective liners.

Heretofore, the casting slot in molds of this class has ordinarily been made continuous and of uniform height or point size over its entire length between the inner ends of the opposed liners, and the casting face of the cap section has been formed either with a smooth surface throughout its entire length for casting solid body slugs in the smaller point sizes or with a transversely recessed surface throughout the length of the slot for casting skeleton body slugs in the larger point sizes. The mold according to the present invention differs from such conventional mold construction in that the casting slot is of the same or of diiferent point sizes for different portions of its length, but the different portions of the casting slot communicate with one another through a passage of less height than that of either of said portions, and the end walls in each portion, so far as they exist above the passage, are perpendicular to the longitudinal walls of the casting" slot. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the cap section may be alike for each portion of the casting slot, either recessed or plain, or the cap section may be recessed for one slot portion and plainfor the other slot portion. I

According, to one embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the mold cap 3 differs from the usual mold construction in that it is provided with a smooth casting face I along the right hand portion of its length and is provided with a recessed casting face 8 along the left hand portion of its length, the height of the right hand end of the casting slot differing from that of the left hand end thereof, as indicated by the difference in the distances of the cap surfaces 7 and 8 respectively from the opposed casting surface of the mold body 4.

The casting slot is continuous from the inner end of the liner 5 to the inner end of the liner 6, the portions 9 and Sl of the slot which are of different heights or point sizes communicating with each other through a portion is which is preferably of less height than either of the portions 9 and 9 of the slot and is formed by a dividing member 52 which extends transversely across the casting slot and is secured preferably to the cap section 3 as by a dovetail rib or. joint. 13. The member [2 is provided with ribs l4 along both of its sides, these ribs extending transversely across and projecting into the casting slot to within a. short distance above the casting face of the mold body 4. The portion ill of the casting slot opposite to the member i2 is thus reduced in height by said member to a height less than the height or point size of both of the portions 9 and 9 of the casting slot. A further feature of the dividing member I2 is that its outer edges I2 provide end walls adjacent to the communicating passage H] which are perpendicular to the upper and. lower longitudinal walls of the several slot portions.

The portions 9 and 9 thus constitute in effect two communicating slug casting slots of different heights or point sizes, and end walls which are square with the longitudinal walls of the slots but fall slightly short of the full heights thereof. The slugs cast in these slots will'be joined together as a composite single slug by the short section of the slug which will be cast in the communicating portion Iii between such slots. Fig. 6 shows the composite slug as ejected from the mold by the blade I l of the usual slug ejecting mechanism shown in Fig. 5, the section I5 of the slug having been cast in the slot 9 and the section I6 cast in the slot 9, these sections of the slug being joined together by the short connecting section I! cast in the communicating portion opposite to the dividing member l2.

Due to the projecting of the ribs H! on the member I2 into the mold slot, the actual connection of the slug sections l5 and It with the section I! is relatively thin and therefore so weak that the slug sections l6 and I! may be easily detached from the section l1 merely by breaking them off. Fig. '7 shows the slug section [6 detached in that manner and it is to be noted that apart from the slight irregularity of the broken areas the ends of both of the slug sections l5 and I6, due to the walls l2 are of the usual formation, that is smooth and perpendicular to the longitudinal sides of the slugs. Obviously, the member l2 may be of any suitable length in the direction of the length of the casting slot and one or more of such members may be provided 2100,36 1 "at any desired points'along the slot. Furthermore, the member l2 and the dovetail slotto "'receive'it might be omitted entirely with the reisult that the composite slug would then comprise employed which will completely isolate or separate the two different point size portions of the slot from one another.

The mold as shown and herein described may be used with ordinary matrices presented to either of the two different point size portions of the slot.

For example, to produce the slug shown in Fig.

"6, a line is composed comprising sufflcient character matrices l8 (Fig. 2) to suit the length of the slot portion 9 and the remainder of the 'line is filled out with blank matrices to close the remainder of the slot up to the liner 5, or the slug shown in Fig. may be cast from a line comprising blank matrices at the beginning of the slot portion 9 and up to the left hand end of the slot portion 9 and character bearing matrices at the right hand end of the line where they will be presented to the slot portion 9 .a non-character bearing section [6 of a differthe slug then cast in the mold comprising the character bearing section of one point size,

" ent pointsize and an intermediate connecting section Il It will be understood of course that instead of employing blank matrices to fill out the line to the proper length beyond the character bearing matrices at either end, any of the so-called quadding attachments now available on commercial machines will serve to move one or the other of the usual vise jaws, one of which is designated I9 in Fig. 3, to close the mold at the front over the extent of the casting slot not occupied by the character bearing ma- 4, trices and thus enable slugs of the kinds shown in Figs. 6 and 10 to be cast without the use of blank matrices.

Although the two communicating portions 9 and 9 of the casting slot in the mold shown in II are of different point sizes and differ also as to the casting faces of the mold cap 3, it is to 'be understood that both portions of the slot may be of the same point size and may be alike as to the formation of the cap section 3 for each portion of the mold slot, a substantial advantage of the present invention being that it enables a single moldto produce connected slugs in the same or different point sizes at each casting operaj tion which slugs may be easily separated subsequent to ejection from the mold and have their ends formed perpendicular to their sides as usual.

The improved mold according to the. present invention may also be employed for the casting of I a composite slug comprising sections one of which bears overhanging characters and the other section of which is plain and of the proper thickness and length to be employed as an underlay 4 for the overlying characters, as'shown in Figs.

9, 9 and 9 In casting such a slug, matrices l8, as shown in Fig. 8 are employed, these matrices being provided with characters l8 which are of larger point size than that of the portion of the casting slot to which they are presented, and for purposes of illustration of this embodiment of the invention, it may be assumed that the mold asshown in Fig. 11 is provided with two communicating slot portions and 22 of equal length and point size, both slots also having smooth walls like the slot portion 9 in the mold in Fig. 1. It will be understood, however, that while it is preferable in this instance to have slot sections of equal length, the height acter bearing slug.

The composite slug resulting from use of the mold shown in Figs. 8 and 11 will comprise a character bearing section 20 having the characters 2| overhanging the body portion of the.

slug section at one side, the character bearing section 20 being connected by a portion like the portion ll in Fig. 6 to a blank section 22 of the same length and point size as the slug section 20.

After ejectionof such a composite slug from the mold, the slug sections 20 and 22 may be broken off from the connecting portion and as heretofore explained the opposite ends of the two slug sections which are cast against the walls l2 will be square with the sides of the slug sections. Since the characters 2| on the slug section20 overhang'the body of this slug section which is of a smaller point size than that of the characters, it will be seen that the blank slug section 22, when placed against the side of the slug section 29 fromwhich the characters project, will be of the proper length and thickness to serve as an underlay or support for the overhanging characters 2!. Figure 9 shows the slug section 22 laid on the character bearing slug section 20, as viewed from the left hand end of Fig. 9, 22 representing the portion of reduced thickness which connects the section 22 to the intermediate section I! and at which point these slug sections are broken apart or otherwise separted, and Fig. 9 shows the slug sections 29 and 22 assembled and as viewed from the right in Fig. 9, 20 representing "the portion of reduced thickness which connects the slug section 20 to the intermediate portion I1 and from which it has been broken off or otherwiseseparated. The present invention thus enables a single mold to produce, at one casting operation, a slug with overhanging characters and, connected to and ejected with such a slug, a blank slug of the proper length and thickness to serve as the required underlay, without requiring two molds as heretofore.

The mold in Fig. 12 shows another embodiment of the invention wherein the casting slot comprises three communicating slot portions 23, 23, and 23 of equal height but each of a different length, these slot portions being formed by two dividing members 24. The dividing members 24 serve the same general purpose as the dividing member l2, the only difference being in the formation of the ribs 25 on the members 24 wherein apart of the several slugs will always lie slightly back of the square ends of the slugs.

Such construction has the advantage of assur- 'ing that whatever irregularities exist due to breaking the slug sections apart will be located back of the square ends cast against the vertical portions of the sides of the members 24. Thus,

the slug sections can be tightly and. squarely butted against one another or against slugs cast in standard molds or against rules, blocks or the like with which they are associated in well known manner when assembled into printing forms. Fig. 13 shows the slug as cast in the mold shown in'Fig. l2, and Fig. 14 shows two of the slug sections 23 and 23" after being broken apart and their square ends butted together. 7

I claim as my invention:

1. A mold for a slug casting machine having non-adjacent longitudinal casting slots of different heights and a communicating passage between the. slots of less height than either of said slots.

2. A moldfor a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot recessed over a portion of its length to cast a slug of a given point size and non-recessed over another portion of its length to cast a slug of a difierent point size, and an intermediate passage communicating with the recessed and non-recessed portions of the .casting slot to cast a section of less thickness than either of the slugs cast in said slot portions and adjoined at its opposed ends with said slugs.

3. A mold for a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot comprising a plurality of rectangular casting cavities for casting different slugs and means extending laterally between said cavities for casting portions of relatively reduced thickness connecting the different slugs together.

i. A mold for a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot comprising at least two casting cavities with end walls perpendicular to the longitudinal Walls of the slot, the adjacent end walls between said cavities extending over a portion only of the height of said slot to thereby provide a communicating passage between said cavities.

5. A mold for a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot comprising a plurality of non-adjacent casting cavities of different lengths for casting rectangular slugs of different lengths and means between said cavities for casting portions connecting the slugs together along a portion only of their opposed ends.

6. A mold for a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot comprising a plurality of casting cavities of rectangular form'but differing from one another in height and means between the cavities forming the adjacent end walls thereof and a communicating passage of less height than either of said cavities.

7. A mold for a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot and a member extending transversely through and partially across the height of the slot for forming by its opposed sides the adjacent end walls of a plurality of communicating casting cavities of rectangular form, said member along the extremity of its projection into the casting slot having transverse ribs projecting outwardly from its opposed sides.

8. A mold for a slug casting machine having a continuous longitudinal casting slot and a slot dividing member projecting from one of the longitudinal walls toward the opposed wall; said member forming by its opposed sides the adjacent end walls of different rectangular casting cavities and forming by the extremity of its projecting edge a passage between said cavities of greater length than the distance between the end walls formed by its opposed sides.

9. A mold for a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot comprising portions of different heights and a transverse member providing a communicating passage between said portions and defining by its opposed sides the adjacent end walls of said slot portions.

10. Amold for a slug casting machine having a casting slot comprising longitudinal end portions of different heights for casting slugs of different thicknesses and an intermediate portion of less height than said end portions for casting a connecting portion of less thickness than said slugs.

11. A mold for a slug casting machine having a casting slot comprising longitudinal end portions of different heights and a dividing member providing an intermediate connecting portion of less height than said end portions and having a ribextending transversely of the slot and projecting perpendicularly from one longitudinal wall toward the other wall thereof.

12. A mold for a slug casting machine having a casting slot of different heights towards its ends to cast slugs of difierent thicknesses, and having a member projecting partially across said slot intermediately of its ends for casting a connecting portion of reduced thickness.

13. A mold for a slug casting machine having a longitudinal casting slot comprising portions of different heights toward its ends, one of said portions being recessed and the other non-recessed, and a dividing member located between said portions and providing a communicating passage of reduced height, said member having ribs thereon extending transversely of the slot and projecting partially across the height thereof.

14. A mold for a slug casting machine having a continuous longitudinal casting slot of a height toward one end to cast a slug with characters overhanging a side thereof, and having a heighttoward its other end equal to the amount of overhang of said characters from the first mentioned slug.

15. A typographical slugcomprising slug sections of equal height but different thicknesses, said sections being of different point sizes and adjoined to one another endwise.

16. A composite typographical slug comprising end sections of different thicknesses and an intermediate portion of less thickness than either of said end sections.

17. A typographical slug comprising rectangular longitudinally extending end sections of equal height and uniform in height throughout their lengths, one of which sections is ribbed and the other plain and of relatively less thickness, and a lateral connecting portion as the same height .as the end portions but of less thickness than either of said portions.

18. A typographical slug comprising end sec- I tions one of which bears overhanging characters and the other being plain and of a thickness equal to the extent of overhang of said characters, said sections being connected separably b an intermediate portion.

19. A composite typographical slug comprising a plurality-of rectangular slug sections of a given thickness and portions connecting the sections together along a portion only of the area of their adjacent ends.

20. A composite typographical slug comprising at least two slug sections of rectangular form, and an intermediate portion joining the slug sections together by a separable connection located back of the adjacent ends of said slug sections.

21. A composite typographical slug comprising at least two slugsections having parallel side faces and end faces perpendicular thereto, and a connecting portion intermediate of the and faces, said connecting portion being of less thickness than the distance between the side faces of the slug sections and lying in the plane of one of said side faces.

22. A mold for a slug casting machine having non-adjacent longitudinal casting slots each of the full lateral depth of the mold but of difierent height along difierent portions of the length of the mold and a communicating passage between said casting slots.

23. A mold for a slug casting machine having communicating longitudinal casting slots of equal depth laterally, one of said slots being recessed to a given point size and the other slot being plain and of a diiferent point size for producing connected plain and recessed slugs correspondingly difiering in point size.

24. A mold for a slug casting machine having communicating longitudinal casting slots of equal depth laterally throughout their length, one of said slots being recessed and the other plain for producing a composite slug having correspondingly plain and recessed portions.

25. A mold for a slug casting machine having non-adjacent longitudinal casting slots one of which is recessed to cast a slug with portions alternating over its length between two difierent point sizes and the other of which is non-recessed to cast a slug of only one point size throughout its length, and an intermediate passage connecting the recessed and non-recessed casting slots to cast a section of less thickness than either of the slugs cast in said slots and adjoined at its opposite ends with said slugs.

EDWARD M. RIGHTER. 

